Amazon and Hachette, two companies that have been in an ebook price battle since May, ended their heated feud today.
The new terms are part of a multiyear agreement between the publisher and the online retailer for ebook and print sales in the US. Amazon executive David Naggar says he’s “pleased with the new agreement” and details that Hachette will be receiving “financial incentives” for delivering lower prices, as detailed in a brief press release. This leaves the control of pricing in Hachette’s hands, but if it follows Amazon’s rules, it will “benefit” though no specifics were disclosed. These new terms will take effect in early 2015, but normal trading will begin immediately.
The bitter dispute, which at one point Stephen Colbert had a few words (and one specific hand gesture) for Amazon’s shadow war with Hachette.
In October, Amazon reached an agreement with Simon & Schuster that was, at the very least, an important factor to the end of today’s ebook hostilities.
At first glance though, it now looks like the companies met at some sort of middle ground and finally buried that hatchet that’s been hanging over the publishing industry for many, many months.